


Brew

by yeaka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Ficlet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Janeway gets her morning cup.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	Brew

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Trek or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

There’s nothing quite like Voyager—the best coffee shop in all of San Francisco. Kathryn would know. She _lives_ on the stuff. She comes every morning, sometimes again in the afternoon, and during the holiday season when it was open over night, she popped in then too, because no one can make a hot black coffee the way the Voyager baristas do. She’s considered buying it on more than one occasion. If teaching at Starfleet Academy ever becomes too dull, that’s her backup venture. Assuming she could get the current owner to sell, of course. Or maybe just partner up.

She thinks she could. She’s certain he likes her. She waits her turn in the relatively short lineup, reaches the counter, puts her travel mug atop it, and out of the three people working behind the register, the owner is the one to come forward first. A smile twists his handsome face, and he prompts, “Let me guess: Coffee. Black.”

“How did you know?” she asks, only half joking. It never ceases to amaze her how baristas remember so many different people’s orders. Voyager offers nearly seventy standard drink options from across the Federation, plus a variety of variants that considerably complicate things. To be fair, Kathryn imagines her particular order is one of the easiest. Still, they always make it right. 

Chakotay tells her, “I had a feeling.” There’s a twinkle in his eye that fans her own smile. She gets lost in it for a few seconds before reaching for the PADD to key in her credits.

He hasn’t put the order in. He slides the PADD out of her reach and tells her, “This one’s on the house.”

“What?” Kathryn chuckles, “Don’t be silly; I can pay.”

“I’m sure you can,” he muses, but he’s already walking away from the register, circling over to the drink station. Kathryn follows, only because a stoic Vulcan has taken over the register, and the Tellarite behind her is loudly grumbling. While he starts up the machine, Chakotay adds, “You’re one of our best customers, Kathryn. You deserve a break now and again.”

“This _is_ my break,” she reminds him. It’s a weekend, and she doesn’t technically have any classes, but there are still plenty of things in her office that require her attention. Fortunately, that’s only a ten minute walk away. Or maybe it’s unfortunate. It can’t be healthy to have her biggest vice in such short range. The only deterrent she has left is the cost, so she pushes, “I shouldn’t get special treatment.”

“How do you know I don’t buy all my regulars drinks?” His grin says it’s a joke, and of course she knows it is, because otherwise he’d never make any money. But she still gets the feeling that Chakotay is exactly the sort of person who would bestow surprise gifts on strangers. 

As he pours the steaming drink into her cup, Kathryn dares to answer, “Alright. I suppose who am I to say no to a charming man buying me coffee? Thank you.”

He turns around to slide her mug across the counter and asks, “How do you feel about charming men buying you dinner?”

Kathryn’s lip twitches, but she manages to keep her reaction suitably in check. She’s hardly a silly schoolgirl anymore, though she’d be lying to say she hadn’t felt the small stirrings of this crush. It doesn’t come as a complete surprise that he’s made the first move. She’s tempted to surrender but just can’t make things easy. “I prefer coffee, to be honest. But it wouldn’t be _impossible_ to persuade me.”

Chakotay looks fully up for the challenge. He leans across the counter, folding his strong arms atop it. The warm overhead lighting washes across the intricate lines of his tattoo, winding down his chiseled jaw, his dark eyes—all the things that make him unique. He asks, “Have you tried the new coffee bar downtown? It doubles as a breakfast pit stop _and_ a fine dining restaurant.”

She admits, “I haven’t yet. But that sort of thing is always better with company.”

“What are you doing after five?”

Kathryn’s definitely smiling despite herself. She actually appreciates the bluntness—she’s a direct sort of person. “What happens at five?”

“I close up shop and hopefully take you downtown.”

“She won’t be there,” the Tellarite grunts, having sidled up beside Kathryn. “Because nobody likes a barista who can’t even flirt and make an Andorian snowcone latte at the same time!”

It’s a testament to Chakotay’s temperament that he only smiles at his other customer, visibly holding back a chuckle. He even says, “My apologies.” Then he turns and sets right about making the order, his Vulcan counterpart stepping in to help. He only pauses to throw Kathryn a single raised eyebrow.

Kathryn takes a sip of her coffee, then decides, “She _will_ be there, because everybody likes a man that can make a mean cup of coffee.”

Chakotay chuckles, and Kathryn takes her leave, pleased with both her prizes.


End file.
